Beautiful organic wine from the living soil of the Azul y Garanza vineyards.

Beautiful organic wine from the living soil of the Azul y Garanza vineyards.

Colourful cricket!

Azul y Garanza Suelo Vivo blanco (Wine of Spain) 2022, 13% ABV.

RRP: c. €20.00. Stockists: Sonas Newcastlewest; Mary Pawle Wines

In the vineyard, you can’t see the cricket, but you hear it.

You can’t see the soul of a living soil (Suelo Vivo), but you can feel it.

That’s the line on the label of this delicious organic wine from Azul y Garanza. Colour is a light straw, quite hazy in the bottle and glass. Aromas are delicate, of the citrus kind, with hints of fennel in the background. Quite a complex palate, with peach, apricot, yellow plum and citrus in the mix, a very refreshing melange indeed.

Highly Recommended

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A new wine, certified organic, but already getting praise: “fun summertime wine”, “perfect everyday wine”, “the fruit shines”, “a refreshing beast”, “soft yet generous”, and the beer accolade of “crushable”. You can't see the soul but you sure can taste the body!

It is a blend with 90% Garancha Blanca and 10% Moscatel. The vast majority of Garnacha Blanca (or Grenache Blanc) is grown in Spain (Herencia Altes a top choice) and France (look for Ferraton and Chapoutier). It can produce full-bodied wines that go well with bigger fish such as tuna.

The Azul y Garanza vineyards are located in the Bardenas Reales Natural Park in Navarra. A huge commitment to biodiversity in the vineyards leads to wines of pronounced purity. This particular example is a pure wine from a living soil (Suelo Vivo) that is in harmony with nature.

Beautiful Garciano Red Wine From The Badlands. “like two souls merged in a single body”.

Beautiful Garciano Red Wine From The Badlands.

 “like two souls merged in a single body”.

Azul y Garanza “Garciano” 2020 Navarra DO, 14%, 

RRP €17. Stockists:The Vintry , Dublin. Connemara Hamper, Clifden. 

Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny. Ardkeen Grocery Store, Waterford. Mannings , Ballylickey. Quay Co-Op, Cork. Wunderkaffee, Farran, Co. Cork. Real Olive Co. Macroom Dairy & Dublin. Taste, Castletownbere. Harrington's, Ardgroom, Beara. 
Sonas, Newcastlewest, Co. Limerick. Mary Pawle Wines.

The label is rather spiritual here: In Garciano, delicate Garnacha and indomitable Graciano find perfect harmony, like two souls merged in a single body. That explains the two-headed animal, sheep and predator, on the label. The other line is more down  down to earth then: Fermented in concrete tank.

But, never fear, it is an excellent wine, in keeping with the Azul y Garanza reputation. Importer Mary Pawle: “A great favourite with our customers, this delicious, well balanced wine is a blend of the fruity and spicy Garnacha and the subtle acidity of Graciano grapes. Medium bodied and guaranteed to please.”

It comes from the edge of a desert to the south with the foothills of the Pyrenees to the north. The desert, in Navarra, is the Bardenas Reales. The wine is a blend of 60% Garnacha & 40% Graciano, a blend that has spent six months in French oak.

Aromas of this mid-ruby wine are quite complex with fresh raspberry and blackberry prominent on the nose. The fruity and spicy Garnacha with the “subtle acidity” of the Graciano make a great match as you can sense on the palate where it is quite intense, berry and  plum, spicy but smooth and balanced. The wine is Very Highly Recommended.

It comes from an amazing area, the Bardenas Reales, a semi-desert or badlands. The very poor and arid clay-calcareous soil, the dry weather and the big contrast of temperature between the day and the night provide grapes with high concentration and a perfect balance and also offers distinctive character and great expression.

Azul y Garanza are organic but go further, planting fruit trees and native aromatic plants around the vineyards. “Working this way, we break the monoculture and we create a wider eco-system. Also, we kept the forested areas close to the vines which are important, among other reasons, as a refuge for animals. All of this allows us to configure the mosaic of the landscape, bringing heterogeneity and developing its biodiversity.”

Navarra is neighboured by Rioja to the West and by Aragon to the East with France beyond the Pyrenees to the North and its major red grapes are Tempranillo and Garnacha. Garnacha is also a leading grape in Aragon and, under its French name Grenache, is a key player in the GSM blends ff the Rhone Valley. And it has yet another name in Sardinia where it is widely planted and known as Cannonau.

Amazing Amphora Raised Wine by Azul y Garanza from the badlands of Bardenas Reales in Navarra

Amazing Amphora Raised Wine by Azul y Garanza from the badlands of Bardenas Reales in Navarra

Azul y Garanza Naturaleza Salvaje Blanca 2019, 11.5%, €21.90 Mary Pawle

The label info is brief and to the point: Single Vineyard. Made in Amphora. Low Intervention. Unfiltered. Limited Edition. 

Colour is a very light amber, a light cloudiness running through it. There’s an acidic streak in the aromas, reminiscent of cider apples. And those orchard notes come through too on the mild palate where is bright, fresh (strikingly so) and pleasant, a harmonious matching of fruit and acidity, and then a good dry finish. Off the beaten track, just like the place it comes from. Very Highly Recommended.

I regard it as something of a discovery and one that I’ll journey further with. It is produced from Garnacha Blanca in the badlands of Bardenas Reales in Navarra. 

They say: High temperature and no rain during the vegetative process advanced the harvest resulting in grapes healthy and very aromatic skin. The lack of water during summer has concentrated the fruit resulting in a great balance between the degree and acidity. The very poor and arid clay-calcareous soil, the dry weather and and the big contrast of temperature between the day and the night provide grapes with high concentration and a perfect balance. Fermentation: With natural yeast. 10 days of fermentation with skin contact for 5 days.

I’ve enjoyed some delicious red wines from this producers and now I’m off to a brilliant start with their whites.

Amastuola Bianco Salento (IGP) 2019, 13%, €13.69 Mary Pawle

This organic wine is made with a not very well known duo of grapes, Malvasia (75%) and Fiano. Colour here is  light straw. Floral and white fruit notes combine pleasantly in the captivating aromas. And your pleasure increases on the palate, the fruit still prominent, in concert with a lively acidity, all heading towards a citrus-y and persistent finish. Highly Recommended and good value too by the way.

The vineyard is in Puglia in the Southern tip of Italy. Production is organic with “a strong propensity for innovation, sensitive to the environment, culture and knowledge” The wine has been vinified and aged in stainless steel.

They say: Amastuola organic wines are the result of the skilful work of those committed, day after day, to putting into practice and disseminating the values that the Amastuola team strongly believes in, namely: respect for nature and for the neighbour. Whether for a dinner or an aperitif, Amastuola Bianco Salento is the right wine to amaze your guests. Its fresh and smooth-flowing taste makes it suitable to accompany aperitifs, raw seafood, risottos, white meats and fresh cheeses. Serve 10-12 degrees. 

A Jewel From The Desert As Mary Pawle Goes To The Limit Once Again!

 

Azul y Garanza “Garciano” 2017 Navarra DO, 14.5%, €16.00 Mary Pawle

This organic blend of Garnacha and Graciano (from the edges of Europe’s largest desert ) is mid-ruby in colour with fresh raspberry and blackberry prominent on the nose. The fruity and spicy Garnacha with the “subtle acidity” of the Graciano make a great match as you can sense on the palate where it is quite intense, smooth and balanced. Very Highly Recommended.

The wine comes from an amazing area, the Bardenas Reales, a semi-desert or badlands. The very poor and arid clay-calcareous soil, the dry weather and the big contrast of temperature between the day and the night provide grapes with high concentration and a perfect balance and also offers distinctive character and great expression.The blend is 60% Garnacha and 40% Graciano and it spends some 6 months in French oak.

Azul y Garanza are organic but go further, planting fruit trees and native aromatic plants around the vineyards. “Working this way, we break the monoculture and we create a wider eco-system.”

They say: In Garciano, delicate Garnacha and indomitable Graciano find perfect harmony, like two souls merged in a single body. That explains the two-headed animal, sheep and predator, on the label.

Entre Vignes “Oníric” Xarel-lo Penedès (DO) 2019, 12.5%, €13.15 Mary Pawle

You probably know that the Xarel-lo is one of the main grapes in Cava. On a solo here, it has a light gold colour. Floral and white fruit in the intense aromatics. Good lively acidity immediately noticeable, silky yet tangy with a hint of bitterness, assertive from start to long finish. Lovely mouthfeel. Highly Recommended. Well priced also.

Mary Pawle says: Entre Vinyes is a personal project of Maria Barrena (Azul y Garanza in Navarra) and this Penedes white is a lovely expression of the local grape variety.

Not so long ago, we enjoyed the Oníric Pet-Nat, details here. Oníric in Catalan translates as dreamer and Maria Barrena’s aim is to rescue old forgotten vineyards and restore a balanced ecosystem. This 60-year vineyard, surrounded by a rich biodiversity, is in the Baix Penedes region (in Catalonia) close to the Med.

Recommended food pairings are seafood and hard cheeses. I think though it is very versatile. Try it with tuna, salads with herbs (even a Caprese), and also Pork and vegetarian dishes.

Very Good Wines From The Badlands

Superb Wines From Spain's Badlands

Badlands? In Spain? You may well ask. The Bardenas Reales is a semi-desert natural region, or badlands, of some 42,000 hectares in southeast Navarre (Spain). The soils are made up of clay, chalk and sandstone and have been eroded by water and wind, creating surprising shapes, canyons, plateaus, tabular structures and isolated hills. Here there is extremely arid soil where the vines are grown organically. And this is where you’ll find Azul y Garanza.

Azul y Garanza  “Naturaleze Salvaje” Navarra (DO) 2017, 13%, €21.85 Mary Pawle

The Intro: a limited edition, single vineyard, organic, low intervention, unfiltered red wine made from 100% Garnacha in the northern Spanish province of Navarra. “Naturally wild”.

The Lowdown: Mid to dark ruby. Red fruit, berry and cherry, in the attractive aromas, strongly fruity on the palate and a touch of sweet spice.  A fresh and sufficient acidity ensures harmony through to the satisfying dry finish. 

The Conclusion: Another well-made wine from the enterprising outfit that is Azul y Garanza, a terrific example of the Garnacha, and Very Highly Recommended.

The Background: The Garnacha vines have an average age of 40 years and grow at an altitude of 550 meters. They add: "The wine spends 6 months in amphora and 6 months in used 300 L barrels. Fertilizer: No Treatments: Sulphur (minimum dose). Eminently drinkable especially with lighter meat dishes, rich seafood, warm salads."

Tip for opening the bottle: the cork is sealed with wax. Don’t worry. Get out your waiter’s helper type corkscrew. Many easy-pull type corkscrews just can’t handle the wax. Simply angle your corkscrew into the top of the wax. Next, slowly twist the auger in, as you gradually bring your corkscrew to an upright position. Proceed as normal and the circle of wax on top will come away with the cork. This is fine at home but openings in a restaurant may require a little more finesse!

Desierto de Azul y Garanza Navarra (DO) 2007, 14%, €39.00 Mary Pawle

“Desierto is an exclusive wine made solely by the grapes from our Desierto (desert) vineyard.”

The purity of the nearby desert gives the vineyard an advantageous pathway to produce this bio wine without too much trouble. Perhaps the biggest human intervention is its 15 months in French oak.

Intense cherry colour with some lightening on the rim. Aromas are of ripe dark fruit, some savoury notes, and also smoky notes. Flavours deep and long-lasting, amazing concentration, fleshy, with a persistent finish. A singular wine from a pretty unique location and Very Highly Recommended.

There was a little bit of sediment in the 2007! Didn’t note that though when I enjoyed the 2012 a few months earlier. But no bother in any case.